Draft-equalizer.



J. F. JENNINGS. DRAFT EQUALIZER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14, 1913.

1,091,846. Patented Mar.31,1914.

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IF. Jnn Z7598.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH COHWASHINUTON D c JOHN F. JENNINGS, or SMITHFIELD, ILLINoIs.

DRAFT-EQUALIZECR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

Application filed .Tune 14, 1913. Serial No. 773,634.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, J OHN F. JENN Nes, a citizen of the United States, residing at Smithfield, in the county of Fulton and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft-Equalizers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates toimprovements in draft equalizers adapted to be applied to the running gear of an ordinary vehicle without structural change in the running gear, and has for one of its objects to improve the construction and to increase the efiiciency and utility of devices of this character.

Another object of the invention is to pro-- vide a simply constructed device which may be applied to the tongue hounds and to the forward axle or its attachments, and which may be adjusted to adapt the device to horses of different weights and strengths.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction. as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claims, and in the drawings illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the forward axle, the tongue hounds, and a portion of the draft tongue, of a conventional form of vehicle with the device attached. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1 with the tongue in section on the line 22 of F ig. 1 and thedoubletrees and swingletrees removed. Fig. 3 is a detached perspective view of the evener bar bracket.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawings by the same reference characters.

The improved device may be applied without material structural change to various forms of running gears including the draft tongues and its attachments, and the forward axle and its attachments, and for the purpose of illustration is shown thus applied, the axle being indicated at 10, the forward sand-board at 11, the forward bolster at 12, the forward axle hounds at 13, and the draft tongue at 14-, the tongue being pivotally united between the hounds at 15, these parts being of the usual construction.

A beam or bar 16 is pivoted at 17 to the tongue, and extending at one side thereof, while a similar bar 18 is mounted to swing upon the same pivot 17 and extends in the opposite direction from the tongue. At its outer end the beam member 16 is bent into a circle, as shown at 19, and the terminal extended beneath the beam and directed rearwardly as shown at 20, and riveted or bolted at 21 to the beam and its circle, while the beam member 18 is bent into a similar circle 22 with the terminal extended rearwardly as at 23, and bolted or otherwise secured, as shown at 2& to the beam member 18 and its circle.

A U-shaped clevis 25 is bolted or otherwise secured at 26 to the upper face of the circle portion 19 and is apertured to receive a pin 27 which extends through both parts of the clevis. A U-shaped clevis 28 is bolted or otherwise secured by its lower side at 29 to the upper face of the circle portion 22 and is apertured to receive a pin 30. The clevises 25-28 are designed to support the draft devices represented at one side by a doubletree 31 with its swingletrees 32, and at the other side by a swingletree 33. By this arrangement two horses may be hitched to the device at one side of the tongue and one horse at the other side of the tongue, as will be obvious.

The doubletree 31 and the swingletree 33, it will be noted, extend above the forward portions of the U-shaped clevises and are supported thereby from deflection when the horses are unhitohed or backed.

.A stay member, such as a chain 34-, is coupled between the rearwardly directed portion 20 of the beam 16 and the axle 10, while a similar stay member 35 is coupled between the rearwardly directed portion 23 of the beam member 18 and the axle 10. The stay members, it will be understood, are sufficiently loose to prevent them from interfering with the movements of the beam member 16-18, while at the same time in event of the breakage of the parts the strains will be instantly transferred to the stay members and thus prevent the team from breaking loose from the vehicle.

Extending betweenthe sand-board 11 and the axle 10 is a plate represented as a whole at 36. The plate is provided with an up wardly direct-ed rib 37 at its rear end to bear against the rear face of the sand-board, and likewise provided with an upwardly directed ortion 38 to bear against the forward face of the sand-board. The reach portion of the running gear, represented conventionally at 89, extends between the'plate 36 and the axle.

The plate 36 is extended forwardly and provided with two apertures 4041, as shown in Fig. 3. Extending transversely beneath the plate 36 and likewise over the side portions of the hounds 13, is a holding bar 42 which is connected to the plate 36 by a bolt 43 passing through the apertures 41 and likewise through the bar. The bar 42 is coupled by U-bolts 4445 to the hounds 13. By this simple means the plate 36 is firmly supported and held from lateral movement.

Pivoted at 46 to the plate 36 is an evener beam 47 having apertures 48 spaced apart near its opposite ends. A rod 49 is pivoted at 50 in the beamv member 16, while a simi lar rod 51 is pivoted at 52 in the beam member 18. The rod 49 is designed 'to be engaged in one of the apertures 48 at one end of the evener member 47 While the rod 51 is designed to be engaged in one of the apertures at the opposite end of the evener beam. l/Vhen the device is arranged for three horses with the doubletree 31 and its swingletrees 52 at one side of the tongue and the swingletree '33 at the opposite side of the tongue, the rod 49 will be connected at its inner end in the innermost aperture 48 of the evener member 47 at one side of its pivot 46, while the rear end of the rod 51 will be coupled in the outermost aperture 48 of the beam member 47 at the opposite side of its center as shown in Fig. 1. By this arrangement the leverage is equalized between the two horses at one side of the tongue and .the single horse at the opposite side of the tongue, as will be obvious.

The improved device is simple in con struction, can be inexpensively manufactured and applied without material structural change to the various forms of vehicles. 7

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. The combination with a. running gear of a vehicle including the draft tongue, of a plate apertured to receive the king bolt and extending forwardly, a holding bar connected at its end to the hounds and connected intermediate its ends to said plate, an evener bar pivoted to said plate, and

draft appliances connected to said evenerbar.

2. The combination with the running gear of a vehicle includlng the forward axle, klng bolt, forward hounds, and the draft tongue, of a member apertured to receive the king bolt and extending forwardly, a brace member connecting said forwardly directed member to said hounds in advance of the axle, an evener bar pivoted to Said forwardly directed member, and draft appliances connected to said evener bar.

3. The combination with a running gear of a vehicle including the axle, hounds, and draft tongue, of a' plate 'apertured to receive the king bolt of a running gear and extending forwardly, a. holding bar connected to said plate, means for connecting said bar to the hounds, an evener bar pivoted to said plate, evener beams pivoted to said tongue and extending in opposite directions therefrom, said evener beams being bent substantially into circular form at their outer ends and the terminals thence extended rearwardly, clevis devices connected to said circular portions and adapted to support draft appliances,.and stay devices connected between the rearw'ardly directed terminals of the evener beams and the axle.

4(A device of the class described comprising evener members adapted to be pivotally connected to a draft tongue and extending in opposite directions therefrom, each evener member being bent into circular form at the outer end and the terminal extended rearwardly, a clevis device attached to each circular portion, an equalizing member adapted to be attached to a draft tongue, coupling means between said equalizing .member and said evener members, and stay devices connected to said rearwardly extending terminals and adapted to be coupled ,to the running gear of a vehicle.

5. A supporting member comprising a body adapted to be coupled at one end to the running gear of a vehicle and with forwardly and rearwardly projecting portions atthe other end, clevis devices including a lower bearing portion connected to said projecting portionsand an upper portion spaced from the lower portion, and draft appliances disposed between the portions of said clevis and pivoted thereto and movably engaging the lower bearing portion of said clevis.

In testimony whereof I affix. my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES HARELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, -Washington, D. O. 

